Names That Mean Love
Across 4 pages
of 4
The names
Amora
Spanish
"love"
Is Amora a real name? It made a strong entrance to the US Top 1000 in 2017 so it's one of the Spanish names for girls that is obviously catching on, perhaps thanks to its similarity to Amara, a…
Nayeli
Zapotec
"I love you"
A name rarely heard outside the Latino community, but it was popular enough in the early 2000s to crack the Top 200. Since then, it's lost ground.
Amoura
Variation of Amora, Spanish
"love"
This alternate spelling of Amora rose over 1000 places in 2019, making it the fastest-rising girl name of the year. It continued to rise steeply in 2020, but has fallen a little since.
Dilan
Spelling variation of Dylan; Turkish
"love"
Dylan has become a go-to name for boys in the last generation, thanks to poet Dylan Thomas, musician Bob Dylan, and fictional characters like Dylan McKay of Beverly Hills, 90210 . Spelling variations…
Venus
Latin
"love, desire"
The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it. Associated with the Greek…
Love
English word name
"love"
Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of…
Milda
Lithuanian mythological name
"goddess of love"
The name of the Lithuanian love diety is a unique way to get to the nickname Millie. Milda has also been seen as a diminutive for names such as Matilda and Mildred. It appeared on the US Top 1000 in…
Milada
Czech
"my love"
An unusual spin on Mila and Milena.
Keris
Spelling variation of Kerris or Cerys
"love"
This phonetic version of the Welsh Cerys might be easier for Americans, certainly, to understand, but it does lose some poetry in translation.
Grainne
Irish
"grain or love"
Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a…
Phila
Greek, Zulu, Xhosa
"lover, friend; to live of life"
In the Zulu and Xhosa languages of Southern Africa, Phila is a unisex name pronounced "PEE-la" and means "to live of life" It's also the feminine version of the ancient Greek name Philo, pronounced…
Ahava
Hebrew
"love"
A soft and lovely Hebrew name with an equally lovely meaning. Variations include Ahavah, Ahaba, Ahabah, Ahuva and Ahuvah.
Amedeus
Variant spelling of Amadeus
"love of God"
see AMADEUS
Ife
Yoruba
"love"
Short but impactful, Ife is a meaningful Yoruba name, taken from the word ífé meaning "love". Predominantly used in Nigeria or among Nigerian families, it may also be used in as an element in longer…
Philadelphia
Greek place-name
"brotherly love"
Not nearly as popular as neighbors Trenton and Camden, but occasionally used for girls. Shirley Temple played a Philadelphia in the old western movie "Fort Apache."
Kerris
Welsh
"love"
Kerris is a much easier if less authentic phonetic spelling of the popular and pretty Welsh name Cerys.
Rudo
Shona
"love"
In the Shona language of souther Africa, this simple and wearable boys' name means love .
Aroha
Māori
"love"
This beautiful Māori name meaning love (cognate with Hawaiian aloha ) is more wearable than the English word and softer Venus or Aphrodite. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern named her…
Philou
Dutch
"love"
This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.
Philadelphia
Greek place-name
"brotherly love"
Place-name mentioned in the New Testament and not yet on the name map. Philadelphia Thursday was the character played by Shirley Temple in John Ford's 1948 "Fort Apache."
